1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for filling and capping containers, preferably bottles, in which containers filled in a filling device are closed with a cap-like closing element that can be placed on the mouth end of a container, forming a sealing press fit or interference fit between the capping element and the container, and with a closure suitable for use with the method.
2. Background Information
Methods and devices of this type are used primarily in the beverage industry for filling and capping bottles, whereby the capping elements used are generally crown corks. To guarantee the long-term preservation of the bottled beverages, stringent requirements are set for the seal of the cap. Accordingly, a high sealing pressure is necessary between the crown cork and the bottle to be closed.
In conventional devices for filling and capping containers, the capping process inside the capping device can only be performed at a relatively long distance from the filling device, on account of the large dimensions of the capping device, which means that the filled bottles remain open for a relatively long period, during which time the liquid inside them is exposed to the ambient air. This ambient air can have a significant and adverse effect on the shelf-life and the taste of a bottled beverage.
Attempts have therefore been made to create capping devices that can be installed as close as possible to the bottling device or that can be integrated into the bottling device, so that the containers can be capped as soon as possible after the bottle has been filled with liquid.
In one known device of this type (British Patent 628 539), the capping device has only one single device to press the closures into the necks of the bottles, although the device in question has a complicated construction and takes up a considerable amount of vertical space, which means it is not possible to locate the closing device in the immediate vicinity of the point destined for the delivery of the filled containers from the bottle-filling machine to the discharge star wheel. The filled and not-yet-closed containers are therefore required to travel a considerable distance before they are closed. The result is that during the time it takes the bottle to travel this distance, the liquid inside is in contact with the atmosphere, and as a result of this surface contact between the liquid and the ambient air, there is an undesirable absorption of oxygen, and hygienic conditions can no longer be guaranteed. Furthermore, between the filling and the closing, the bottles are inevitably subjected to vibrations and impacts, as a result of which the liquid can be sloshed around inside the filled containers, thereby most frequently resulting in an overflowing or slopping of the liquid. This overflowing occurs in particular if the containers are made of plastic or plastic film, materials which are sensitive to impacts and collisions. With this device, however, it is not possible to close the bottles earlier, because the closing device is too tall to be located any closer to the bottle-filling machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,094 discloses a method in which a bottle, immediately after being filled, is closed in a first closing phase with a plastic closure part, over which a conventional crown cork is then placed in a second closing phase.
A method of the type described above is also disclosed in German Patent Publication Published for Opposition Purposes No. 17 82 348. This publication describes a method for closing bottles with plastic caps in two phases, whereby in the first phase, the plastic caps are pushed onto the bottles only far enough that the lateral skirts of the plastic caps just surround the thickest portion of the bead around the mouth of the bottle, and in the second phase they are pushed on all the way, so that the plastic cap closures come into contact with their end and base part against the edge of the mouth of the bottle.
The object of this invention is to create a method of the type described above in which a more secure closure and a more hygienic mouth area can be achieved, in comparison to similar methods of the prior art.
The method taught by the invention is characterized by the features disclosed in the following steps. After the filling has been completed, the liquid in the bottles is allowed to foam, with minimized overflow of the foaming liquid, a first cap part is applied as a foam stopper to the mouth of the container, forming a sealing fit on the mouth of the container, when the mouth of the container has been sealed, any traces of liquid residue that may remain on the mouth of the bottle are sprayed, off, and the actual main cap is applied to the mouth of the bottle, without introducing any substantial additional oxygen into the mouth of the bottle. A capping element is provided, the inner sealing cap part of which is located in the lower portion of the actual cap, and this sealing part can be placed in sealing contact with the mouth of the bottle, whereupon the mouth of the bottle is cleaned, and then the cap is applied over the inner cap part and screwed to the mouth of the bottle. Following the application of the inner sealing cap part on the mouth by means of the capping machine, the mouth of the bottle is cleaned by means of sprayer devices that are stationary, rotate with the capping heads or are located in the capping machine. A sprayer device is applied to the mouth of the bottle, by means of which the end of the bottle is sealed and at least the vicinity of the cap is sprayed all around, following which caps filled with inert gas are applied to the mouth of the bottle.
In an independent realization, the invention teaches a screw cap that can be used with the method and is characterized by the fact that the bottles are closed with a cap that consists of a plurality of parts, whereby a first part of this cap is applied to the mouth of the bottle immediately after the filling and/or foaming of the bottle, whereupon the mouth of the bottle is cleaned and then the main closure is applied, whereby the two cap parts are connected to each other without adhesive and can be removed from the bottle as a complete and non-separating unit.
The method claimed by the invention and the screw cap suitable for use with the method make it possible to easily cap the bottle after the completion of the filling process and the foaming of the bottled liquid, or at the beginning of the pre-capping process, which is then followed by the main capping, which is preceded by a spraying of the mouth area of the bottle, outside the area of the bottling machine or directly inside the capping machine. The consumer can remove this cap as a complete unit, in which no adhesives or similar substances are used to connect the two parts of the cap to each other, and which can represent a health hazard, in beverages in particular. Furthermore, for carbonated beverages in particular, which have a desirable tendency to foam, it is possible to perform a proper cleaning of the neck of the bottle or the area of the mouth before the primary capping. Finally, the air in the screw cap is not pushed into the bottle, which further reduces the amount of oxygen in the neck of the bottle.
Using this method and the following method characterized by the fact that a capping element is provided, the inner sealing cap part of which is located in the lower portion of the actual cap, and this sealing part can be placed in sealing contact with the mouth of the bottle, whereupon the mouth of the bottle is cleaned, and then the cap is applied over the inner cap part and screwed to the mouth of the bottle, it is also possible to perform a pre-sealing in the capping machine, with a subsequent spraying of the mouth area, followed by a final capping of the bottle. In both cases, the method ensures that any remaining liquid will be removed from the area of the mouth.
The above discussed embodiments of the present invention will be described further hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying figures. When the word xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d is used in this specification, the word xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d includes xe2x80x9cinventionsxe2x80x9d, that is, the plural of xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d. By stating xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d, the Applicants do not in any way admit that the present application does not include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention, and maintains that this application may include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention. The Applicants hereby assert that the disclosure of this application may include more than one invention, and, in the event that there is more than one invention, that these inventions may be patentable and non-obvious one with respect to the other.